The pond was wet, hoppy, and buzzing.

The frogs were swiftly adapting to their new environment and community. There was plenty of time for anything their froggy hearts desired—swimming, eating, exploring, playing, chatting, relaxing. They were just busy being happy. 🐸

Frog life tends to come alive as the sun drops lower in the sky and the activity around the pond picks up. It continues all afternoon and evening and into the early morning until the sun's glare makes vibing too uncomfortable. Today was just such a day.

The day's heat was quenched by an afternoon change that brought a cooling breeze across the pond. As the temperature started to drop, clouds began to gather in the distance. ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

Several community members began to scope out their new hunting grounds for a few juicy morsels.

As the sky grew increasingly overcast, the air took on an eerie green tinge. Faint flashes of lightning began to flicker within the depths of the thickening clouds in the distance while the thunder sounded its muted rumblings from afar.

However, this didn’t appear to bother the amphibious habitats. Water is life here.💚

Within minutes, another round of games had commenced. The latest derivative of lily pad races was a spectacle to behold. Norm suggested each participant had to complete the course while carrying a live worm in their mouth the whole time.

The sky began to fill with denser and darker clouds, casting a rolling shadow across Linea. The gentle breeze was replaced by strengthening gusts that sent leaves flying and caused the surrounding reeds to sway and bend.

The lily pad racers were engrossed in the latest contest and didn’t notice the weather front rolling toward them. It wasn’t until a bright flash and nearby crack of thunder startled the race leaders, causing a pileup, that the event was paused.

Teddy jumped clear of his bracken shelter near the embankment to take in the commotion. Just beyond the other side of the pond, he noticed objects falling from the sky that looked like little white stones. They were now peppering the pond, sending up splashes with every hit.

“Hey, you guys!” Teddy shouted, pointing away, “Look!” 👁️👁️

Norm recognized the voice and turned. He couldn’t immediately make sense of the splashes happening all around him. It wasn’t until the lily pad he was sitting on received a direct hit, causing a sizable hole, that he suddenly understood the gravity of the situation. A direct hit by one of those would mean one less frog in the pond.

“Everyone, back to the bank!” he yelled and sprang forth. The others followed his lead. Those near the embankment were croaking encouragement to those fleeing the hail.

“Come on!” Teddy barked.

Charm bounded over to help usher the frogs, scrambling back to the relative safety of the willow canopy. It was a dramatic lily pad race and swim unlike any other. After a moment, all had managed to return. Taking a moment to catch their breath, they saw the hail stop and be replaced by rain… heavy rain.

The pond's surface was now pounded into a boiling fabric of tiny, watery explosions. The roar of the rain and the constant rolls of the thunder drowned out everything else. Normally, the frogs would be excited for a chance to frolic in the rain, however, the hail had momentarily halted their sense of adventure.

Rain continued to fall on the pond and its surroundings, cascading from nearby hills over the moist terrain. As the volume of water dropped from the sky increased, streams and waterways sprung back to life. The ground took in as much moisture as possible before returning it as a rising floodplain.

The community continued to huddle near the willow roots as the pond level continued to rise. Charm took the opportunity to reassure them: “It is only water, after all, dear frogs.”

Suddenly, a torrent of water carved its way along the edge of the forest, breaking around trees as it cascaded into the gathering of frogs and knocked a couple off their feet, sweeping them away. A quick-thinking frog darted out and snatched them from the stream, which skipped over the bank's edge and away into the forest. Ethan, stout and blue with a toothy grimace, held the frogs in his strong grip, moving against the watery current.

“Everyone, hang on to each other!” Ethan shouted.

There was no time to lose. “Yes. Frogs together!” Charm called out.

🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

With this, the closest frogs grasped tight to the willow roots. Others followed suit, forming a chain. A frog to the left and one to the right, one in front and one behind. Soon there was a tightly knitted, interlocking mesh of frogs holding firm on the edge of the pond.

The flash stream continued to flood over them and away, but they held tight. Minute after minute and wave after wave the frog mesh held. Underwater and out of sight, their job was simple: hold onto the frog next to you.

And they did.

After some time, the rain stopped, the streams eased up, and the moving water lost its force. The fast-moving clouds moved away, and the light came back. Soon, the water flow pushing over the pond's banks slowed, too. Row by row, they unclenched from the frog matrix and took stock of their surroundings. The pond was full, the bank was flooded, and the community was weary.

“Look,” a gray frog motioned skyward.

The frogs turned to see a break in the clouds, and a vivid swathe of colors peeked through. As the clouds continued to roll away, the rainbow stretched further and further across the sky. Smiles and croaks once again rang out and continued into the night. 🌈🌤️

Today was the day the community held… all frogs together.

To be continued…